Cascade Creek and Petersburg
Cascade Creek: rushing, roaring, white water tumbles over boulders into calm Thomas Bay. In the spruce forest bordering the creek, mosses cover any surface that is not already green. We walk on a narrow boardwalk past giant leaves of skunk cabbage, bright pink salmonberry blossoms, and unfurling ferns. We are surrounded by lush, moist vegetation and the thunderous sound of falling water as we approach the wide waterfall. Mist blows through the air, and dampens everything and everyone downwind.
The trail becomes steep here, and a foot bridge crosses the roaring creek. A poisonous rough-skinned newt is found in a patch of skunk cabbage, and later, a porcupine is seen ambling down the trail. Kayakers have a completely different experience as they paddle along the shoreline of the quiet bay.
Our next destination is the fishing town of Petersburg. As the ship nears town, a whale researcher named Andy Szabo comes aboard to speak about humpback whales and his own research on their feeding habits.
In Petersburg we have many choices for the afternoon. Some of us opt for helicopter or flight seeing tours over nearby glaciers. Many of us walk through town, where Norwegian flags fly from many buildings, including the Sons of Norway Hall near the waterfront. Naturalists lead hikes through a muskeg (bog), and others lead a dock walk, explaining the myriad styles of rugged fishing boats in the harbor. (During my own stroll through town, I watch a Sitka black-tailed deer cross the main road, walk past two large totem poles, and wander up a side street. As I return to the ship half an hour later, a mink scurries across the road near Sea Bird’s dock.) Before dinner, local resident Becky Knight talks to us about her life as a fisherman. Our day finishes with a feast of Dungeness crab and barbecued ribs.
Cascade Creek: rushing, roaring, white water tumbles over boulders into calm Thomas Bay. In the spruce forest bordering the creek, mosses cover any surface that is not already green. We walk on a narrow boardwalk past giant leaves of skunk cabbage, bright pink salmonberry blossoms, and unfurling ferns. We are surrounded by lush, moist vegetation and the thunderous sound of falling water as we approach the wide waterfall. Mist blows through the air, and dampens everything and everyone downwind.
The trail becomes steep here, and a foot bridge crosses the roaring creek. A poisonous rough-skinned newt is found in a patch of skunk cabbage, and later, a porcupine is seen ambling down the trail. Kayakers have a completely different experience as they paddle along the shoreline of the quiet bay.
Our next destination is the fishing town of Petersburg. As the ship nears town, a whale researcher named Andy Szabo comes aboard to speak about humpback whales and his own research on their feeding habits.
In Petersburg we have many choices for the afternoon. Some of us opt for helicopter or flight seeing tours over nearby glaciers. Many of us walk through town, where Norwegian flags fly from many buildings, including the Sons of Norway Hall near the waterfront. Naturalists lead hikes through a muskeg (bog), and others lead a dock walk, explaining the myriad styles of rugged fishing boats in the harbor. (During my own stroll through town, I watch a Sitka black-tailed deer cross the main road, walk past two large totem poles, and wander up a side street. As I return to the ship half an hour later, a mink scurries across the road near Sea Bird’s dock.) Before dinner, local resident Becky Knight talks to us about her life as a fisherman. Our day finishes with a feast of Dungeness crab and barbecued ribs.
